RUNNING HEAD: STUDENT INTERVIEW ASSIGNMENT
Student Interview Assignment
HIAD 7442
Jane David
November 01, 2013
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STUDENT INTERVIEW ASSIGNMENT
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Student Interview Assignment
Introduction
Based upon Erickson’s theory of psychosocial development, Arthur Chickering’s Theory
of Identity Development offers college leaders and educators a comprehensive view of the way
in which college students develop. Central to Chickering’s theory is the ideal that the higher
education setting is uniquely suited to promote human development through the specific tasks
typically experienced by college students. Chickering described particular pathways for this
journey and further defined the tasks or “vectors” that students predictably face in this
development process. Furthermore, Chickering’s theory assists student affairs personnel in the
understanding of the factors of the psychological transformation experienced by college students.
It can also provide these personnel with guidance for designing interventions with which to
address and direct student needs and the desired outcomes.
The vectors proposed by Chickering differ from the development stages described by
other developmental theorists. A vector is a reoccurring theme or issue (Bliming, 2010).
Chickering suggested that the progression through these vectors is not linear or sequential for
most college students. He did, however, feel that these vectors do influence each other (Evans,
2010). The seven vectors described by Chickering include: developing competence, managing
emotions, moving through autonomy toward interdependence, developing mature interpersonal
relationships, establishing identity, developing purpose, and developing integrity (Evans).
Chickering, along with Linda Reisser during Chickering’s later work, described
development as the “increasing ability to be intentional, to assess interests and options, to clarify
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goals, to make plans, and to persist despite obstacles” (Flowers, 2008). Given this definition of
development as a foundation, one can assume that college seniors should demonstrate more
progression in most or all of these areas when compared with college freshmen. However, are
there significant differences in this progression? The purpose of this assignment was to further
understand the influence of the college experience on student development with a comparison of
self-reported levels of development for a college senior and a college freshman.
Methods
For this assignment an interview was conducted with a college freshman and a college
senior at a local rural four-year institution. The students were both Caucasian; the freshman
student was a male (18 years old) and the senior student was a female (21 years old). Both
students had been dormitory residents at this particular institution for at least some aspect of their
college career. The students’ declared majors were not similar, although I would have liked for
them to be similar and in a health related field due to my own occupation.
The interview consisted of face-to-face questioning with each student individually. The
pre-prepared interview questions used with each student were designed to try to address each of
the aforementioned vectors of Chickering’s theory. Every attempt was made to use open-ended
questions and student elaboration was encouraged with each of their responses.
Results
With regard to the vector of developing competence, I choose to address the area of
physical competence. When asked how their eating habits have changed since beginning college
the students had different responses. The freshman student said that he was enjoying going out
to eat with friends whenever he wanted to despite having a paid meal plan with the campus
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cafeteria. The senior student stated that she had had to move back home for unrelated reasons
but greatly appreciated her mother’s cooking again. She currently only eats out occasionally at
lunch; she stated that she tries to spend her money frugally and is weight conscious as she had
gained some weight upon initially coming to college. The senior student expressed much more
awareness of healthy eating than did the freshman student indicating significantly greater
physical competence levels.
In the area of managing emotions both students were asked to describe the stress that they
had experienced with living in a dormitory situation and how they had dealt with this stress. The
freshman student described significant conflict with “very messy” roommates and with other
roommates’ friends who were constantly in their suite and “acting crazy.” He said that on more
than one occasion he just had to leave; he reported driving all the way back to his parents’ house
because he was so angry. He stated that he did not plan to remain in the dorm because of these
problems but he had no definitive solution at the time of our interview. The senior student also
stated that she had had difficulty with dormitory life. She complained about the other girls being
noisy and messy as well. She also talked about the lack of conveniences in the dormitory, i.e.
laundry, closet space, etc. She reported that, although home was not perfect, she was happy
move back in with her parents and commute. Given these responses, it would appear that both
students had experienced similar emotional stress related to dormitory life. Both have been
forced to manage significant stress and emotions and react based upon those emotions.
Interestingly, both resorted to previous familiar comfort zones rather than making the dormitory
situations work for them but only the senior student had determined an absolute solution.
When questioned about their communications with their parents regarding school matters
both students interviewed for this assignment described having to seek significant amounts of
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assistance from their parents, particularly related to the financing needs of their education.
Although there was not a substantial difference expressed initially by the students in this area of
questioning evidencing the students’ movement through autonomy towards interdependence, the
senior student elaborated on a decreasing level of parental involvement as she has progressed
with her studies and career planning. Therefore, a noteworthy difference was noted in the
development of independence and interdependence with these students during this interview.
Chickering’s fourth vector pertains to developing mature interpersonal relationships.
With regard to this vector the students interviewed for this assignment were asked to describe
their experiences with friendships with individuals from a different culture. The senior student
expounded on her experiences with international students, non-traditional students, and students
of different ethnicity from herself. The freshman student reported that coming from a small
private high school prior to college he was not prepared for the diversity he has found in college
and that, so far, his interpersonal relationships have not advanced to include individuals from a
different culture other than his own.
In terms of the vector of establishing identity as described by Chickering, the students
were asked to report their feelings on being criticized by their friends or acquaintances on their
clothing choices. Although neither student had actually experienced such outright criticism, the
freshman student detailed his purchase of certain brand names of clothing typically worn by his
peers since coming to college. He laughed and spoke of some fellow students who did not
conform to the typical dress. The senior student stated that her clothing choices were now driven
by her major and the expectations of her faculty and their related courses at this stage of her
studies (she is a Family and Consumer Science major). She was critical of the standard “dress
code” of the underclassmen but stated that she was previously influenced by her desire to fit in as
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well. She stated that she now enjoys dressing more like a professional. Therefore, significant
differences were determined with these two students in relation to this vector.
Developing clear vocational goals was the next vector of consideration for this interview.
With regard to this vector, the students were asked to discuss their declared major and related
career goals. The freshman student was quite lackadaisical when asked to detail his intended
major and career plans. He reported that he has already changed his major once just since
beginning the fall term. He stated that his plans currently are the “same as my friend’s,”
indicating limited self-analysis and commitment. The senior student, in contrast, described solid
commitment to her college major now at this point and a strong vocational plan in relation to her
interests and skills. She stated that she is excited to finish her studies and begin her career. In
fact, she reported that she has already begun looking at the job market and making contacts.
Again, significant differences were found with these students in relation to this vector.
Finally, Chickering’s last vector is developing integrity, or humanizing and personalizing
values and developing congruence. Both students were asked during this interview process to
describe a time during their college experience where they had encountered an occasion in which
their personal values conflicted with the actions or choices of the group that they were with. The
freshman student described his experiences thus far with fraternity parties. He stated that he had
just not found these types of gatherings to be comfortable as he does not drink; therefore, he has
chosen to not join a fraternity as many of his friends have. He also reported that he does not feel
that these types of events are the best place to meet girls as many of his friends think. The senior
student reported on a cheating issue that she had experienced with one particular class that she
was in. In describing the situation, she said that she chose not to participate even though she
might have gotten a higher grade if she had. She stated that she felt that this kind of activity
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occurs too frequently and is very tempting to many students because their friends are doing it.
Although both students demonstrated integrity with their decisions in these incidences, I found it
interesting that the topic that they chose to report on for this line of questioning varied so
significantly evidencing maturity levels.
Conclusion
As expected, this interview assignment resulted in a confirmation of the previously noted
assumption that a college senior will demonstrate more evidence of developmental progression
as compared to a college freshman when analyzed using Chickering’s definition of development
as a foundation and questioning reflective of Chickering’s defined vectors of development. For
most vectors the difference was quite significant with the two students interviewed for this
assignment. It is important to note, however, that as previous research has determined, college
growth and development is influenced by many variables which were not considered or
controlled in this assignment. These include the student’s precollege characteristics, the
student’s academic program (this was somewhat noted in this interview with relation to
establishing identity), the student’s participation in university services, and influence of the
student’s interactions with faculty (Flowers, 2010).
Further consideration of Chickering’s theory, especially the vectors of development,
should be undertaken by colleges today in an effort to more adequately support students in their
developmental processes. The theory can serve as a template for programming that assesses and
supports student development. It can also assist educators and student affairs personnel in
counseling and advising students more effectively. In addition, the theory can be used to identify
and design environmental influences that will better facilitate student development (Evans,
2010). Although more research on this theory is needed, the theory has become an important
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resource for the establishment of institutional support services and initiatives that will foster
student development throughout the college experience and, thus, enhance student success from
beginning to end.
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References
Bliming, G. (2010). The growth and development of college students. In The Resident
Assistant. (7th ed.). Kendall Hunt, p. 138-144.
Evans, N., Forney, D., Guido, F., Patton, L., & Renn, K. (2010). Student development in college:
Theory, research, and practice. (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Flowers, L. A. (2002). Developing purpose in college: differences between freshmen and
seniors*. College Student Journal, 36(3), 478+. Retrieved from Gale.